Why was Eric Winston cut? Here are four theories

I don’t believe that cutting Eric Winston was a good “football decision”…. at least not entirely. Clearly, the Texans needed to shave salary to get underneath the salary cap. By cutting Winston, they accomplished that. However, I’m not sure why the Texans didn’t go to Winston to restructure his deal. They wouldn’t have saved as much with a restructure, but they could have kept their offensive line together.

Continuity on the offensive line is key. The best run blocking units are the ones who play together the longest, and the Texans unit has been together for consecutive years. Good zone-scheme teams work as one fluid unit with five, six or seven players up front working as one. When you get a running back like Arian Foster who runs with elite tempo and vision, that running game unit is a sight to behold.

So with Eric Winston gone, there has to be a concern about continuity on the offensive line along with timing. Will the running game be as good? How long will it take a new right tackle to get into a groove at that position? Or worse yet, what if cutting Winston doesn’t ensure that Mike Brisiel and Chris Myers are still Houston Texans? What will happen to the Texans offensive line if they lose two or more starters?

Why Was Eric Winston Cut?

Let’s take a look at some potential theories as to why Eric Winston was cut.

The Mario Factor?: There is still a theory out there that the Texans continue to make room under the cap so that they can re-sign Mario Williams. Winston had only two years left on his deal so the Texans wouldn’t have been able to restructure the deal to their liking without more years available to spread a prorated signing bonus over. While Winston’s cut clears a decent amount of space, sources have told me that they aren’t close on a deal with Chris Myers or Mike Brisiel. If the Texans lose the right side of their line and their center along with the cap cuts they have already made, they could be putting together enough space to get Mario Williams done….. but at what cost to the team?

Stabilizing Offensive Line Prices?: Duane Brown is one of the top offensive tackles in football and will command that type of salary next year when he is a free agent. If you pay Duane Brown top dollar, then you would have a fairly expensive running game when you factor in Chris Myers, Eric Winston and Arian Foster. The Texans have already spent on Foster so they may be deciding that they need to preemptively attack the amount of money they want to pay to their running game which includes offensive linemen.

Better Value To Be Had?: Maybe the Texans simply thought Eric Winston wasn’t as good as he needed to be relative to his salary. If that were the case, they could have decided to cut him in favor of the less expensive Rashad Butler who has longer arms and maybe a shade more athleticism.

Are The Manning Rumors True?: This one is a long-shot, but what if the Texans are clearing out space for Peyton Manning? If they also dealt Matt Schaub, they could save even more cap space and potentially have enough room for a 2nd-tier wide receiver as well as Manning if they structured the salaries appropriately. I don’t see this as a viable option, but at least it is on the table.